It's no secret the Steelers could use help at edge rusher on its depth chart.
T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith as starting edge defenders with only Cassius Marsh signed in free agency and rookie Quincy Roche, who talked about rookie camp adjustments Saturday behind them. Neither Marsh or Roche are proven NFL edge defenders who can be trusted for reliable snaps yet, which means Kevin Colbert may need a free agent veteran.
One edge rusher now off the board in free agency is 32-year-old Ryan Kerrigan, who signed with the Eagles Monday morning. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Steelers were one of the teams in the running to sign him:
Teams that showed the most interest in Ryan Kerrigan were the Eagles, Steelers and Bengals. But he opted to stay in NFC East. https://t.co/hIopweFdDA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 17, 2021
Kerrigan had 95.5 sacks and 119 tackles for loss over ten years with Washington, but last season he cost $11.6 million in salary cap space and only started one game.
If Colbert was actually targeting Kerrigan, he could want more experienced edge rushers instead of younger, cheaper options who could help more on special teams.
If Colbert's looking for veteran edge rushers there are plenty available. Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram and Trent Murphy are all players with considerable experience in their early thirties. Houston produced the most last season with eight sacks, but also cost $9 million against the Colts' cap.
Colbert's effective cap space is approximately $6.5 million, but that money usually gets held over for emergency signings late summer or during the season. If Schefter's report about Kerrigan was an actual effort to sign him, maybe Colbert has plans to add a significant veteran on the edge defender.
That plan may be crucial to the Steelers having any real depth at a position where they were down two players in their playoff loss to the Browns in January. But there are still former Steelers like Anthony Chickillo and Jayrone Elliott available who better fit the type of players Colbert signs this late in free agency.
